


The One That Got Away

by queenietheband



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Stranger Things Fusion, Angst, Artist Will Byers, Bisexual Mike Wheeler, Childhood Memories, Drama & Romance, F/F, F/M, Gay Will Byers, Happy Eleven | Jane Hopper, M/M, Mike Wheeler Loves Will Byers, Minor Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler, Minor Maxine "Max" Mayfield/Lucas Sinclair, Parenthood, Protective Mike Wheeler, Reunions, Summer Camp, Will Byers and Eleven | Jane Hopper Are Best Friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-24
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2019-12-07 00:52:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18227705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenietheband/pseuds/queenietheband
Summary: After a huge fight, Mike never thought he would see Will again. Years later, Mike's son finds a letter that could change everything. Can Mike and Will finally have their chance at a happy ending?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! Writing this took a lot longer then expected and only when I saw the trailer for season 3 (!!!) did I actually start to get a better idea of where I was going with this. Anyways hope you guys enjoy and let me know what you think so far!!!

_The rain falling against his face clung to his hair and dripped down his shirt. He could barely make out the figure standing tense in front of him, but the familiarity of their presence was enough._

_“You told me we would always be friends, Mike. Crazy together, remember?”_

_The boy lifted his head, his expression as broken as Mike felt._

_“I thought I would always have you.”_

Even in his dream, Mike had regrets. 

“Dad, wake up already!”

Mike kept his eyes closed, pretending to ignore the way the bed dipped as his ten year old son crawled toward him. His fake snoring was a mess, but the kid seemed to love it.

Mike heard a giggle before a smaller body jumped on him.

“C’mon Dad, you told me that since it’s my birthday, we could go get waffles.”

Mike flung open his eyes in exaggerated shock. “Wait, it’s your birthday? If only you had told me earlier.”

He climbed out of bed, his son attached to him like a monkey and headed down to the kitchen. “How could I forget it’s the birthday of my baby boy? You’re so old now.”

The boy crawled off of his back and plopped onto the kitchen counter, swinging his feet as he watched his dad search for his keys.

“Well, it’s not my fault. You and Mom were the ones who decided to have me.”

Mike stopped his search to point an accusatory finger at him. “Hey, doesn’t mean you get to be mean about it.” His son rolled his eyes and playfully stuck out his tongue. “Speaking of your mom, why don’t you call and tell her to meet us at our usual diner for breakfast?”

The boy jumped off the counter and bounded towards Mike, wrapping his tiny arms around his middle. “I can get the birthday waffles too?”

Mike smiled and ruffled his son’s hair, thinking back to when he had barely reached up to Mike’s knees.

“Of course you can, Willie. Anything for the birthday boy.”

* * *

 

Mike carefully wiped Willie’s mouth as he scarfed down as many waffles as he could. It was a funny sight, the napkin carefully tucked into the front of his shirt not doing any service as the whipped cream and maple syrup landed all over his face. Mike used to think it was something only little kids did, but looking at his ex-wife sitting opposite of him, he was happy to report that it wasn’t the case.

“No one would ever question that you two aren’t related.”

El cheekily smiled at him, wiping her own mouth clean as she dug into her waffles. She finished the last two bites and chugged her coffee before answering. “Maybe so, but we both know whose fault it actually is.”

Willie’s laughter filled their booth. He had heard so many stories of his parents’ meeting and although the story sometimes changed, the constant was that Mike was the one to introduce waffles to El.

Mike raised his hands in surrender, blushing slightly. “Alright, alright. We all know the story.”

The whole family laughed, sharing in this happy moment together.

For a long time, those happy moments were very rare. Mike and El had gotten married straight out of college and at first, they had been like star-crossed lovers. They had moved to Boston, wanting to start a family somewhere new, and it worked. A few years later they had Willie.

Although everything seemed perfect, both Mike and El seemed to know it wasn’t. El wanted to see more of the world and Mike wanted to learn more about himself. When Willie turned three, they decided to split.

It was hard at first, especially because their son was so young, but they made it work. Now, Willie lived mostly with Mike, but saw his mom whenever he wanted to. Everyone was happier with this arrangement than when they were together, especially the parents. El was in a different city each month, and Mike, well, he finally was able to admit to himself that he was bisexual.

Mike tuned back into the conversation when he heard Willie screech with joy. El was handing him a wrapped present, a huge balloon tied to it. She pulled out her camera and snapped photos while Willie aggressively tore off the paper. It was a wooden box, completely covered with painted designs. Mike looked at El in confusion.

“Where did you get that? It looks familiar.”

“I was cleaning out the house and I found it tucked away somewhere. Somebody had given it to me for my birthday so I thought I would give it for your birthday.”

Willie hurried over to his mom to hug her, El ignoring Mike’s questioning look as she pressed a kiss to Willie’s head. He beamed up at her, running his fingers carefully over the box so as not to mess with the flaking paint.

“It’s so cool.”

Mike smiled at the pair, pulling out his wallet to go pay for their meal and to give the mother and son space.

As soon as Mike left the table, El leaned forward a little, her hands already working open the lock that was on the box.

“I put something else in the box, too.” She pulled out a stack of carefully folded papers. Each paper was a different size, some torn while others were from a notebook. “It’s a bunch of silly things from your dad and I’s childhood. I thought you’d enjoy them.”

Willie studied the pile in awe. It was a jumble of weathered flyers, scrawled and messy notes, and tickets for movies that came out a decade ago. Willie leaned into his mom’s side, pulling El in for a hug.

“Thanks mom, I love it.”

El carefully closed the box with a soft click before Mike got back.

They parted ways after that, El needing to go back to her house to pack up for her next trip and Mike having a conference call later in the afternoon. The entire family hugged goodbye, even Mike and El.

When saying their goodbyes, Mike couldn’t help but notice the look on El’s face. “What’s so funny?”

El turned and leaned down to kiss Willie, winking at him before she turned back to Mike. The grin on her face didn’t go away. “Oh, it’s nothing. Nothing at all.”

Mike immediately had to call into his work, where they were working on a new book to published, and let Willie do his own thing. Promising to celebrate more later, Mike went off to his office.

Willie, on the other hand, went down to the basement.

He ran towards the blanket fort that was tucked in the corner, which he and his mom had built, and turned on his flashlight before hauling the wooden box inside. Now that he was alone, he could finally examine it more closely.

He was truly in awe. The box was just made of ordinary wood, a bit heavy and smoothed down along the edges. The paintings are what brought it to life. They were painted on carefully, each stroke done with such care that it made the whole box feel like it belonged in a museum. There were different scenes painted on each side of the box, but each one featured a a girl with short hair, who he guessed was his mom, and a short boy with shaggy brown hair. Willie held the box up to his face to examine the person closer. It couldn’t have been his dad, he had seen pictures of him when he was younger, but the way the two people were painted seemed as if his mom knew that boy really well.

Dumping the papers onto the carpeted floor, Willie ruffled through them with a keen interest, holding each thing carefully so as not to tear it. Some of the handwriting he couldn’t make out, but littered throughout the pages was his dad’s familiar scrawl of handwriting. He had written stupid jokes or asked a question. His mom’s handwriting was on there a few times too, very sparse and straight to the point in what she wrote. Willie noticed a third, unfamiliar handwriting sprinkled throughout, a softer scrawl that wasn’t as harsh as his dad’s but not as neat as his mom’s. He had just noticed the butterfly sketch in the margin of one of the papers at the bottom of the pile and had dug through the mess for it, when he saw it. Tucked inside another random note was a piece of paper folded into eighths. It was crisp and seemed to be the least damaged paper in the box. Willie carefully unfolded it and gasped.

It was a drawing of his dad. The sketch was so hyper realistic that Willie could have believed it was a photo. He looked young in the drawing, his hair much longer and untidy. He was wearing an argyle sweater, his knee socks peeking through his too short pants. Whoever had drawn this knew him well because Willie immediately noticed the freckles that he had inherited from his dad and the quiet smile that his dad sometimes wore. He was staring right at the artist, his eyes wide and opened as if staring at something in awe. Scrawled in the bottom left corner of the page was _Will Byers, 1986._

Willie flipped over the paper and his eyes frantically flew over the page as he tried to take it all in. It was a letter, in his dad’s handwriting. Willie slowed down enough to read through it.

 

_August 1989_

_Will,_

_I don’t know what to do._

_Ever since Joyce told me you had left, I’ve been lost._

_I know it’s all my fault and I’m sorry._

_I’m so sorry._

_I don’t know why I acted the way I did when you told me. I should have stopped being such a jerk and just listened. I blew it, Will. I couldn’t give you what you wanted._

_You didn’t do anything wrong. You told me the truth, something that I knew had been bothering you ever since the beginning of school. I should have been there for you. Instead I pushed you away and made you fight it on your own._

_I don’t know why I did. I think I was scared of admitting to what we both knew. It would have changed everything._

_But I couldn’t do it. I thought I could live with my choice, but every single day, I still picture your face as you waited for an answer._

_Even though we’ve been best friends since forever, I have never once seen you that heartbroken before. It makes me even more heartbroken to think that I was the reason._

_Maybe if things were different, if life hadn’t played out the way it had, us becoming best friends, meeting El, you leaving._

_Maybe we could have had a chance._

_I wish we did have that chance._

_I know I’m never going to see you again and I’m trying to make peace with that. It was my fault so I have to live with my consequences._

_I wish I had you here though. You would have made me feel better with your endless optimism and cheerfulness, just by being you._

_Especially by being you._

_I hope you’re happy, Will. I hope you found peace wherever you are and that you know I wanted none of this to end the way it did._

_I hope you found someone who loves you the way that I wanted to._

_And I hope that one day, before we lose each other completely, I can see you and see that you’re at peace._

_That’s the only way that I can be at peace, too._

 

_Love,_

_Michael_

 

Willie let the letter fall gently to the ground. He was at a loss for words. The sentences on the page kept jumping out at him, racing through his mind. Who was Will? Was this his namesake? What happened between him and Mike?

 

Where was Will now?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I've been really busy recently with school ending and everything so I didn't have that much time to write! Hope you enjoy! ^.^

_I hope you found someone who loves you the way that I wanted to._

“Willie, honey, can you pass me a napkin?”

Willie startled out of his thoughts, hurriedly passing a napkin over to his dad before going back to picking at the food on his plate.

It had been three days since Willie’s birthday, the day he found the letter, and he still was trying to figure out a plan.

Feeling around in his pocket until the tips of his fingers brushed against the sharp edges of the folded paper, Willie internally sighed with relief. He felt like he was carrying a bomb. Ever since he read it, the letter was carefully tucked into whatever pocket he had on him and was taken around everywhere with him. His dad still hadn’t noticed it, or if he did, he hadn’t said a word. Willie had hoped to ask his mom about it, but she had already left the country for her month long trip to Brazil.

Willie was on his own.

Except….

He looked at the photos hanging on the wall behind his dad’s head and his mind started reeling with possibilities.

“What’s up, buddy?”

His dad was eyeing him curiously, slowly chewing on his dinner.

“Can I spend the night at Uncle Lucas and Aunt Max’s house tonight?”

Mike shrugged, already pulling out his phone to text his friends. “As long as they don’t have any plans, I don’t see why not.”

They got a confirming reply within minutes and after finishing their dinner, Mike and Willie finally made it on the road.

When Mike and El first found out they were having a kid, they felt completely lost. Neither of them seemed to be able to handle this, especially so far away from their parents. That’s where their friends came in. Max, Lucas and even Dustin through facetime, helped relax them and get them through the first couple years. Max and Lucas eventually moved out to a city close by Mike and El, becoming unofficial parents to Willie too.

Without Max and Lucas, Mike wasn’t sure he would have been able to get through fatherhood as a single dad.

Before long, their car pulled into the tidy driveway of their house, a two-story brick building with a small yard in the front. Willie scrambled out of the car as soon as they pulled to a stop, lugging his overnight bag behind him. Mike watched him go, his heart happy. He was glad Willie had other people who cared as much about him as his parents.

He was a lucky kid.

The door opened quickly and Max stood on the other side, arms outstretched to catch Willie who barreled into her. Mike was next to hug, holding her close. Over the years, everyone he had met managed to look completely different, but to him, Max looked exactly the same. She was taller, her now short red hair tied in two buns atop her head. Her bright blue eyes still stared Mike down as if she was ready to beat him up with a moment’s notice.

She teasingly punched his arm as if to remind him. “How’s it going, doofus?”

Mike shoved her gently in his way in narrowly missing tripping over the golden retriever that bounded up to him. He knelt down to pet the dog while Willie continued on his quest to greet everyone in the house. Based on the squeal and soft “oof” that came from the living room, Mike guessed he had found his target.

Mike walked into the room and he tried to hide his smile at the sight. Lucas was leaning painfully over to hug the small child wrapped around him, trying to stay upright for the both of them. Mike walked up to them and patted Lucas on the back.

Lucas rolled his eyes at him and even Max started laughing.

No matter how many times Eleven and Mike had tried to convince them, the couple still profoundly disagreed to the idea of being parents. Thankfully, they were close enough to Willie that they got to experience some of the wonders of parenthood, including diaper phase.

Mike finally managed to pry Willie off of Lucas and after a quick chat with his friends, Mike left.

As soon as the front door closed shut, Willie turned on the two adults, his eyes lit up with glee.

“What do either of you know about Will Byers?”

Lucas choked on his spit, Max hurrying to clap him on the back as she stared at Willie with a mix of horror and nostalgia. “Well, he used to be a really close friend.”

Lucas finally recovered and pulled Willie a bit closer so he could whisper. “Who told you about Will Byers? Your dad doesn’t really tal-”

“My dad wrote this letter for him and I guess he never sent it.”

Willie glanced down at the creased paper he had pulled from his pocket, tracing over the handwritten words. “I think my mom wanted me to do something when she gave it to me. For my dad.”

Max and Lucas exchanged looks. “And what does she want you to do?”

When Willie looked up, his face shone with such determination clearly inherited from both his parents that the two felt their arguments die in their throats.

“We need to find Will Byers and reunite him with my dad.”

Lucas stared at Willie in frustration. “Listen, none of us fully understood what went down between Will and your dad, all we know is that after whatever happened, Will left.” His gaze dropped to the floor, but Willie could already see how much Will leaving had hurt him.

Max leaned her head on Lucas’s shoulder and smiled sadly at Willie. “Honey, we don’t even know where he is right now. Last time he talked to us was a few years after you were born and he had moved to New York to live with his older brother.”

Willie wasn’t ready to give up. He wrapped his arms around both of the adults, trying to get to his point across.

“Please, you guys have to help me find Will. I know my dad still loves him. I want him to be happy just like the rest of us.”

Willie’s eyes shone with unshed emotion and both Lucas and Max felt their resolve start to fade away.

They glanced at each other, having a full-on conversation with their eyes.

After mere minutes, Lucas sighed and buried his head in his hands.

“Fine,” he mumbled, “We’ll help you find Will Byers.”

Max excited laugh echoed Willie’s.

They were actually going to do it.

They were going to find Will.

* * *

 “Wait, you let him do what?” Mike sat up from his office chair, his secretary peeking around the corner as his voice continued to rise.

Lucas’s voice crackled through the phone, clearly trying to appease him. “Don’t worry, Mike. Max and I checked everything out. It’s a legit camp, pretty cool idea actually. Willie’s been talking about it for years.”

Mike ran his hands aggressively through his messy black curls. He couldn’t wrap his head around any of this.

After spending the weekend at Lucas and Max’s house, Willie had called him that morning asking if he could stay at Lucas and Max’s house for the weekend. Seeing as it was summer vacation and his friends hadn’t minded, Mike agreed. He figured his son just wanted to be around fun people for a chance and everything seemed to work itself out.

Until this morning when Mike got a call from Lucas informing him that his son was currently on a bus to a summer camp.

“Look, it's going to be fine. You and I both know that if El was here too she would have let him go so just because she's in South America right now doesn't mean she doesn't get a say.”

Mike scrubbed his face and loosened the tie around his neck, already starting to give in. “I know, that’s not the problem. I’m just...worried. He’s never been so far away from me before.”

The hint of amusement in Lucas’s voice was clear as day. “He’s a lot more mature than you give him credit for, Mike. He’s a smart kid.”

“Of course he is, he’s my son. Besides, what’s so special about this camp? I’m sure there were plenty of good art camps here in Boston.”

Mike picked up the picture of his son sitting on his desk.

His curly brown hair was blowing in the wind as his famously mischievous smile shone through the photograph.

Mike sighed.

“Why did he want to go to all the way to New York?”


	3. Chapter 3

Willie felt out of his element.

Here he was, all the way in New York, to find his namesake.

Lucas and Max had helped him dig up all they could on Will Byers, which really wasn't a whole lot. The only information they could find was that he graduated from NYU and had most likely stayed there up till now. He didn’t have any social media, nothing that could help them figure out where he was.

All three had given up hope until Willie clicked on the website.

Camp Cattaway.

It was a two week-long art camp every summer in upstate New York that promoted the arts and development of leadership skills.

It also happened to be a camp where Will Byers was a counselor at.

After that, it didn't take long for the rest of the plan to be laid out. First was to get El in on the plan, sign him up as a camper, meet Will, give him the letter, and somehow get his dad to come to the camp to reunite him and Will.

Easier said than done.

Thankfully, luck was finally on Willie’s side.

“Are your parents coming tomorrow for parent’s day, Willie?”

Willie nodded casually over to his friend, but internally he had begun to panic. He had called his dad a few days ago, telling him to come check out the camp, but the longer Willie got to know Will Byers, the more he wished everything was already fixed.

It was as if he had read his mind.

“That looks amazing, Willie.”

Will Byers grabbed the open seat next to him and stared at Willie’s paintings with a look of awe as he scanned over the half finished work. 

Willie still couldn’t believe his dad could have hurt this guy. He met Will the first day at the camp, purely by accident. Willie had already been stressed about the whole situation and the first time being so far away from his dad that he naturally felt panic settle in.

That’s when he met Will. He had pulled Willie aside before anyone saw him breaking down and sat with him until he felt better.

Over the past week they had made a fast friendship, talking about their love of art and their shared problems.  
Especially knowing what it was like being a kid of divorced parents.  
Will had been easy to talk to and Willie was going to miss being able to have such an easy connection with someone he had barely known.

Unless his plan with his dad worked.

He had called and casually mentioned that tomorrow was parent’s day at the camp and his dad was definitely excited about it. If only Willie didn’t have ulterior motives.

A slight poke into his side brought Willie back to reality.

Will was shaking his head in amusement at how spacey Willie was behaving. “Maybe you should take a break from all this painting. Want to help me pack up the gifts for the parents coming tomorrow?”

Will handed him a small empty pouch and other trinkets to be added as the pair fell into a comfortable silence in their work.

Will cleared his throat. “So, are both your parents going to be here tomorrow, Willie?”

He tried to hide the nervousness in his voice. “No, my mom’s in Brazil. She travels to different places to see the culture and everything. My dad will be there, though.”

Willie pretended to struggle with opening one of the pouches. “You know, I think you and my dad would get along really well.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, he used to have this best friend who was really good at art and he always told me how amazing his art was.” Willie sighed. "My dad told me his friend moved away, though. I think they had a huge fight and it really ruined their friendship." 

Will’s hands stilled. Willie didn’t have to look up to know that he was staring directly at him.

After a few minutes, Will’s eerily quiet voice spoke up.

“Willie, what’s your dad’s name?”

Willie looked up at his camp counselor and his dad’s best friend and shrugged.

“I think you already know.”

* * *

 As soon as Mike pulled onto the path in the forest that led to Camp Cattaway, he knew he was going to be in trouble.

Just driving past the sign that was covered in different designs and artwork made by the campers, Mike’s heart ached with the memory of his old best friend, Will.

He knew it was ridiculous to be so stricken by a simple sign, but Will Byers flashed through his mind and everything he had hoped to bury down was dredging itself back up.

The car finally made it through a clearing, the campsite laying in front of him like a map. Huge complex buildings spread out around the grounds with a lake laid out to the side. Kids were all over the place, some by the lake, others hanging around the cabins lined up and down one of the paths. Mike followed the other parents in front of him to a rec center, and pushed open the doors.

God, was he was glad his parents never made him go to a summer camp.

The large room was crowded with families and campers, laughter and excitement thick in the air. Around the walls were different paintings hung up, along with pictures from past campers. Mike moved to the side, trying to pick out his son from the throng of campers hanging out around the wooden tables. Walking over to the nearest camp counselor, Mike asked about Willie and she pointed to the back table, where Mike spotted Willie’s curly brown hair bent over the table as a counselor explained something to him. His heart soared. Willie seemed to be fine, his feet swinging under his chair and Mike bustled around the other tables, already relaxing at the sight of his son.

“Willie, honey, I’m so glad you-”

Mike stopped dead in his tracks when the counselor helping Willie stood up and faced him. Mike’s heart stuttered to a stop.

“W-Will?”

“Hi, Mike.”

The room around him faded away and his vision tunneled so all that he could see was the man in front of him.

Will.

Will Byers.

His first best friend.

His first heartbreak.

For once in his life, Mike didn’t know what to say.

Will stepped away from Willie, sliding his hands into his pockets as the two men shyly observed each other. Will had gotten taller, now looking more lean than scrawny as he did as a kid. His soft brown hair was cut short and messy, a green bandanna tied around his forehead. His bright hazel eyes that always amazed Mike were staring straight at him, unreadable and guarded.

Mike cleared his throat and held out his hand.

“Um, yes. Will. You’re a counselor here?”

Will nodded and looked uneasily at Mike’s hand. His voice was so much deeper and richer when he spoke. “Mike, come on. We can do better than that.”

He opened up his arms and without even having to ask Mike fell into his embrace, locking his arms tight around Will like he always used to do. They still fit together like they were connecting puzzle pieces and Will still smelled like happiness.

He still smelled like home.

Will abruptly pulled back, staring at Mike in amusement, although his hands were shaking. He glanced away, gesturing at Willie, who was sitting there giggling at the pair.

“This little guy never even told me that he was the son of El and Mike Wheeler. If only I had known...”

Will laughed, but there was an unexplained edge to it.

Mike scratched the back of his neck and looked at Willie, too.

“Yeah, well, he probably never told you that he was the son of El and Mike Wheeler because there _is_ no El and Mike Wheeler. We split up a while ago.”

Will only shook his head in response.

“Yeah, Willie told me. I'm sorry, Mike. I really thought you guys were going to be forever."

Mike cautiously smiled, his voice soft and full of regret. “Well, I thought you and I would be friends forever, but it didn't work out like that either.”

Will looked down and fiddled with the paintbrush in his hand. “Life’s weird like that, Mike.”

Just hearing his name from Will’s mouth sent Mike through a flurry of memories.

His heart ached.

Willie peeked up from behind Will, a look of innocence painted across his face. “Since you know Will, why don’t you stay at the camp for the rest of the week and help out? They always like having parent volunteers.”

Will blinked at Willie owlishly as Mike looked at him for approval, but all he gave was a slight shrug of nonchalance before excusing himself to go talk to other parents.

Mike sighed and leaned down to Willie’s level, his mind rushing through too many emotions to be focusing on what was even happening.  
“Willie, I don’t know if I should…”

Willie’s chair scrapped back when he stood to face his dad, his expression pulled into one of determination. “Dad, listen to me. I know how much you’ve missed Will. This might be your only chance to fix it. You have to at least try.”

Mike glanced over at Will, who had moved to talk to another counselor, his hands gesturing around like they always used to whenever Will was discussing their D&D campaigns that they had just played.

Mike’s heart flipped again. He had missed Will, even if he told everyone he didn’t.

Seeing him, how much he had changed, Mike knew it was now or never.

If he left, he would never get to fix things with Will and continue going through his life regretting it.

He had to do this.

Mike ruffled Willie’s hair and smiled.

“You know what? I’ll stay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading I hope you enjoyed!! 
> 
> (Also, GET READY FOR BYELER AT CAMP Y'ALL)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!!! Hope you enjoy :)

When Mike was younger, and “finding himself”, it had taken him years to admit that he liked guys along with girls. He never was sure about it, even if he saw a really cute guy and immediately fell in love, but it had definitely been a process.

Seeing Will again, Mike was really questioning why it had taken so long to admit his attraction to boys.

Will was standing on the dock, helping one of the campers get their boat into the water, his wet hair swooped away from his face and the subtle muscles in his arms flexing when he lifted the canoe. He was being so gentle with the little kid, demonstrating how to paddle on the canoe and standing right next to her to make sure she was feeling okay.

Mike was totally screwed.

“Dad, why are you staring at Will?”

Mike startled and dropped the oars he was clutching to his chest at the sound of his son’s voice.

As a parent volunteer, Mike was in charge of getting supplies to the counselors and being of any assistance in the activities. Seeing as this was the fourth time he had failed to deliver the oars to Will, the camp counselor who was currently in charge of this activity, he knew there was no way he was going to be any help whatsoever.

“I wasn’t staring, Willie, I was just making sure Will didn’t fall in.”

“He’s a better swimmer than you are.”

Mike cleared his throat and patted his son on the back before wandering away.

He didn’t know what was wrong with him. Sure, he had a crush on his old best friend, but it wasn’t as if he hadn’t had crushes before. He paused in his walk down to the dock where Will was when he heard his soft laugh and it hit him.

This crush on Will was much different.

“Hey, uh Mike? You okay?”

Mike shook away his thoughts and looked up at Will, who was standing in front of him as if he was approaching a scared animal. Much to Mike’s dismay, he looked even better up close. He smiled shyly back at Will.

“You’re pretty great with the kids, you know that?”

Will blushed and ran his hands through his wet hair, shaking it a little to dry it. “Years of practice. I’ve been working at this camp ever since I was 16.”

The awkwardness seeped through the air between them. “So...the year you left?”

“Yeah. Yeah it was. I needed something else to do besides be homesick.”

Both stared at each other in silence, trying to figure each other out.

Suddenly, Will straightened up and his bright hazel eyes stared right into Mike’s dark brown ones. He gestured at the oars still hooked on Mike’s arms. “Actually, you want to help me teach these kids how to canoe?”   
Will looked out towards the lake, the golden sun basking on him as his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. “We probably have enough time before the sun sets."

Mike smiled at Will, memories flooding in. “It’ll be just like when we taught El how to swim, remember?”

Will glanced at him, his expression morphed into something unreadable. He nodded dismissively at Mike before going back to the dock, blowing on his whistle to summon the campers.

Mike watched him, frustration seeping through him.

That was another problem with being at Camp Cattaway. No matter how much he wanted to talk to Will, it seemed Will wanted to do the exact opposite.

It took a few days for Will to stop ignoring him completely, but now all he did was this. Whenever things were going great and Mike brought up memories from their past, Will would switch off, going back to ignoring.   
It was almost like he wanted to _forget_.

Mike tried to brush it off, but he didn’t how he would make it far if Will didn’t even want to speak to him.

He just needed a breakthrough.

“Dad, can you help me? The buckle’s stuck.”

Mike turned his attention to Willie, helping him put on his life jacket that was hanging from his arms.

“You ready for your first canoe lesson, buddy?”

Willie looked towards the canoes piled along the shore and shrugged as Mike finished up. “Eh. It’s just like sitting on a rowboat right? When I went to California with Mom, we took a rowboat over to an island.”

Mike smiled. The one thing he was grateful for in coparenting was El being able to share so many life experiences with their son. Even though Mike wished he got to be there alongside him, as long as Willie got to see the world, it was all okay.

Willie gently tapped his dad’s arm. “Are you ready?”

“Ready for what?”

“Ready to be on a canoe with Will, duh. All parent volunteers have to sit with the camp counselors as a backup for us since we’re not going as far out as you guys are,” Willie recited, grinning slyly up at Mike.

He froze. “Wait, what?”

Before Willie could confirm, Will’s whistle sounded again and both hustled over to the docks. Will stood at the edge, helping each kid into their boats. Mike followed suit until all that remained was one canoe. Both men looked at each cautiously. Finally, Will spoke up.

“Um, so I think we have to share this canoe. U-Unless you want to stay on shore?”

Mike steeled his nerves and tried to hide his nervousness from his tone. “N-no, I’ll come with you.”

Carefully the two maneuvered the boat into the water before both climbing in. Will sat in the front and faced back towards Mike, pushing the canoe further into the water until they were ahead of all the campers.

He carefully held up his oar, Mike mirroring him, and began teaching the kids. Showing them how to hold the oar, how to push against the water to move, how to stop, and how to turn, the two managed to teach the campers the basics of canoeing in under an hour. As soon as each kid had shown Will a demonstration, each was free to practice, as long as it stayed within the boundaries laid out in the water. Mike and Will watched the campers for a while before Will’s soft chuckle rose up across the boat.

“That’s what I like about this job,” Will smiled when one of the kids whooped with excitement as they made a turn. “These kids are fast learners.”

Mike watched Willie finally get the hang of his paddling and grinned too. “Yeah, it really makes a difference knowing how much you impact a kid. Especially when they’re your own.”

“Willie’s a really great kid, Mike. You and El are good parents.”

Mike turned to face Will, who was softly gazing at him.

He ducked his head, bashfully. “Thanks, Will. You know, he kind of reminds me of you.”

Will looked at him in surprise. “What?”

“He loves drawing pictures for his friends and he’s always been obsessed with music, especially from the 80s. Plus he always likes to keep everything inside until El or I figure it out.”

Mike laughed awkwardly and fiddled nervously with a string on his shirt. He really didn’t want to bring this up now, but it seemed to be the only time he could. “That night, when everything turned around I just wi-”

“We should get back,” Will suddenly said, already slipping his paddle into the water and starting to push their boat so it faced back to land.   
Mike didn’t know what to say. Will’s back was tense with unexplained emotion and they were halfway back to shore when Mike finally decided.

He couldn’t wait any longer.

He shoved his paddle so it hit the bottom of the shallow lake, dragging the boat to a slow stop.   
Even as they floated in the water, Will still didn’t turn around.

“I-I don’t want to talk about this right now, Mike.”

Mike took a deep breath. “I know. I don’t either, but you can’t keep shutting me out everytime I try to connect with you.”

Slowly, Will rotated on the bench and faced him, his expression morphed into one of pain. Mike’s heart broke.

He almost looked like he had that night it all happened.

“Mike, I really don’t want to go back through it. We can just pretend it didn’t happen and move on and-”

“No, we have to talk about it.”

Both studied each other in silence, the frustration building in tension.

Will lifted his paddle and slowly lowered it into the water until it hit the bottom. He adjusted his posture to use all his strength. “Mike, let go of your paddle.”

Mike stubbornly glared back at Will, his mind dead set on winning this fight.

He dug the paddle in deeper.

“Never.”

Will glared at him again, but this time a glint of something else shone in his eyes. “Michael Wheeler, you better let go.”

Mike tried to hide his smile and raised his eyebrows in response. 

“Fine.”

Quick as lightning, Will shoved all his weight on the paddle at the same time Mike leaned against his own paddle. Both looked triumphant for a minute until the boat slowly started tipping to the side. Almost instantaneously, the boat flipped over, throwing both men overboard.   
Mike quickly swam to the top of the water, surfacing to hear the shouts from the kids and others standing on the dock. He scanned the area around him, but Will still hadn’t resurfaced.

He felt his heart drop to his feet. Floating in place, Mike frantically turned in circles, his panic building inside. 

“Will? Will, where are-”

A hand grabbed Mike’s leg and tugged him underwater before he came back up for air, spluttering and coughing. He opened his eyes and Will stared right back, his mouth opened wide as he giggled at Mike’s drenched hair.

“I thought Willie would have informed you by now that I’m an _excellent_ swimmer.”

Mike shoved water at Will, him reciprocating until both were left floating next to the upside down boat, completely soaked and giggling uncontrollably.

Will running his hands through his short wet hair, his grin plastered on his face, he looked like he had when he was a kid.

Mike’s mind flashed through their shared summer memories as kids, traveling to the next town over to swim in the lake, pretending there were monsters that needed to be hunted and promptly dunking each other under to see who could scare who.

Will must have remembered the same because his laughter slowed until just a soft smile graced his features.   
He looked at Mike directly and for the first time since he had got to the camp, Mike didn’t see any hint of pain or regret.

He only saw pure happiness.

Mike smiled. 

“I’m glad to have you back, Will.”

Will rolled his eyes playfully and dunked him under again.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! There's only like a month left before I graduate so I've been super busy and don't have as much time as I would like to write. Hopefully I'll be able to finish this soon! Hope you enjoy :)

“You better not do what you’re about to do.”

Mike and Willie froze and dropped their water balloons as they came out of hiding in surrender. Will stood triumphant, clutching a red water balloon in his hand, poised to throw, as the smug on his face grew larger.

“I knew you two would pick the easiest hiding spot.”

Another kid approached Will from behind and Mike casually nodded his head to get ready.

“Maybe we picked the easiest hiding spot, but we definitely didn’t take the easy way out. Now!”

A water balloon flew at Will’s head, smashing and causing water to fly everywhere. Mike burst out laughing when Will looked at him in shock.

“You look like a drenched rat, Byers.”

“That’s what you always look like, Wheeler.”

Will shook out the water from his hair, Willie squealing as Will chased him around.

Mike watched the pair, feeling content.

Ever since they had managed to break the ice with the canoes, their relationship had reverted back to what it was like as kids. Their constant teasing reminded Mike of middle school, but it was fun to act like a kid again.

Of course, it wasn’t exactly the same. Both men had changed a lot over the years, especially Will and it was interesting learning all the new information about him that Mike didn’t know.

Will was a lot more open now, telling him about his life in New York, from being an art teacher at a public elementary school, his friends that he met, to his two cats. Even some of the little quirks were new, like the fact that he always wore bandannas in the summer to hold back his hair and how he snapped his fingers when he was nervous.

He was like a different person, but Mike still felt the strong connection that they shared when they were younger.

Willie even loved him, the two bonding over the simplest things and having inside jokes that Mike didn’t fully understand.

It was a comfortable state of being, close enough that they could rely on each other again and it was something that Mike craved for after the divorce with El.   
He hadn’t expected it to be with Will.

“Alright teams, since the blue team won the water balloon fight, they get to choose the next game and whoever wins that goes against the purple team,” One of the camp counselors said before beckoning over the blue team to choose what they would play.

Mike watched Willie excitedly whisper to his friend and wave at him. His son had grown so much at this camp. He had come out of his shell, talking to more kids and expressing himself more. He didn’t know if it was because of Will or not, but it was definitely an added bonus.

Just knowing how much Will already meant to his son, Mike was at a loss. He had just got his best friend back and now he was at a crossroads that already seemed to be moving him in one direction.

“Mike, want to help me set up the rest of the course?”

Will stood in front of Mike, waving a pile of blue and red flags, his bright smile sending butterflies floating around in Mike’s stomach.

Mike nodded and grabbed a few of the flags from Will to lighten the load and together the two traipsed deeper into the woods, lightly chatting as they moved further away.

Mike was so busy trying not to trip over any roots that he didn’t even realize Will wasn’t next to him anymore.

His panic only settled down when he spotted the bright camp counselor shirt next to a pile of broken logs. As he drew closer to Will the sniffling and quiet crys grew louder.

Mike rounded the corner and came face to face with Will trying to soothe a camper, a little boy who had curled into a ball.

Mike began to panic again. “I-is he okay? Should I get someone? Should we-”

Will gave him a warning look and patted the dirt next to him, Mike lowering himself to the ground, cautiously watching the kid.

The boy was about Willie’s age, his face red and splotchy from crying so much and his left shoe was untied. Mike immediately pictured Willie sitting in this same situation and he felt like crying himself.   
Will’s patient voice interrupted the boy’s loud sobs. “Henry, are you okay? Why are you out here?”

Henry’s tears came to a gradual stop until all that was left were a few hiccups every now and then. He glanced at Mike before turning his attention back to Will.

“I ran out here after… after what happened.”

Will shifted his position so he could face the boy eye to eye. “Can you tell me what happened?”  
“I was drawing on Cole’s arm when this older kid came up to me and started calling us names. H-he said I was gay because I liked Cole.”

The boy started to sob again and Will laid an arm protectively around him.

Mike’s blood started boiling. “What’s the bully’s name?”

Before Henry could answer, Will spoke up. “Jeremiah. He’s been coming to the camp for a few years now and always causes trouble.”

Henry nodded in confirmation before he resumed crying.

Mike started to get up, already on edge and ready to fight with a preteen when Will laid a hand on Mike’s arm and kept him in place.

“Henry, look at me.”

The boy slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with unshed tears as he stared up at Will.

When Will spoke, his voice was firm. “Remember what I told you last year? You are amazing, no matter what anyone says.”

He opened his arms and Henry fell into them, Will holding him close as the boy cried into his shoulder. “I hope you know that even if you do like Cole, it’s okay. You’re still normal.”

Henry nodded, his voice muffled. “I-I think I do.”

Will pulled away from the hug and held the boy by his shoulders, his eyes glassy. “I’m proud of you, Henry. I’m really proud.”

Slowly, Henry started smiling again and after a few jokes from Mike, he ran back towards the camp, happily calling out to his friend.

As soon as he was out of sight, Mike turned and faced Will, his eyes wide open in awe. “Will that was just… that was amazing.”

Will stood up, blushing as he dusted off the dirt from his shorts. He shrugged. “I just told him what I wish someone had told me when I was his age.”

Mike felt the familiar guilt start to siddle in. “Will I-”

“Mike, it’s okay. Really.” He stared at Mike, his eyes tired. “When I moved to New York, I promised myself that I would live unapologetically and help anyone else who felt like they were alone.”

Mike looked down, kicking a rock around between his feet. “You know, a few years ago, I-I came out as bisexual.”

Will had started heading back to camp when he turned and gave a look of surprise. “Really? That’s great, Mike.”

“Yeah… I mean thanks. I wanted to tell you because I wanted you to know,” Mike took a deep breath. “You were my inspiration. I know how hard it was to live in Hawkins, especially with that big of a secret and all the shit you got for it...I’m really proud of you, Will.”

Will stared at Mike in silence until Mike thought that Will had just frozen.

Suddenly Will shot forward and wrapped his arms around Mike, pulling him as close as he used to hold him when they were kids. Mike hugged him back, resting his head on Will’s shoulder and breathing in his warm scent. They stood there for a while, both holding each other for their own reasons until Mike felt Will’s grip start to loosen.

Will pulled away, his eyes now red as he tried to wipe the single tear that fell.

He smiled softly up at Mike, his face earnest and filled with what Mike could only describe as love.   
“You have no idea what that means to me, Mike. Thank you.”

It was Mike turn to blush. He swung an arm around Will’s shoulder and started pulling him back towards the camp, the two falling into an amicable silence.

And if Mike squeezed Will’s shoulder lovingly and Will leaned into it, they were the only ones to know.

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! This is such a late upload I'm so sorry!!! It was my final year at high school so if figured I better work hard BUT now I've finally graduated! Back to a regular writing schedule too :)
> 
> ENJOY

“Dad?”

“Yeah, honey?”

“How come I can never see the stars?”

Mike turned his head so he could look at Willie curled up next to him, his big awestruck eyes staring up at the dark night sky as both lay on their backs.

Willie’s cabin had decided they wanted to sleep outside in their sleeping bags that night and after a bit of persuading, Will (their camp counselor for the night) finally agreed. Mike looked upward again, eyes squinting so he could try and make out stars for his son to look at. The inky black sky looked like an empty canvas, a few blimps of lights from planes, but that was all. “Sorry, Willie. I think the New York pollution does a good job of covering them up.”

Willie blinked blurrily and Mike’s heart clenched with the memory  of him as a baby doing the same exact thing. His dark brown curls blew against his face.

“Mom tells me about the stars every night when she calls. She always tells me the stars and constellations and that if I can find them, it means she’s looking at the same ones and I’m home."

Mike smiled softly, pulling Willie closer into his side and pressing a kiss to his head.

“Mom always knows how to make you feel safe, huh?”

“She’s the strongest person I know.”

Mike chuckled. “I agree.”

A calm voice rose up from above them. “So do I.”

Mike tilted his head up more to see Will standing above them, staring down at Mike with a soft expression. He leaned down and gently nudged Willie.  
“C’mon buddy, it’s bedtime. Can’t let you guys stay up too late or none of you will be able to make it to breakfast.”

Willie sleepily got to his feet and after bidding goodnight to both adults, he stumbled towards the other kids a few feet away, who were all climbing into their sleeping bags for the night.

After Will checked to make sure every camper was asleep, or at least pretending to be, he wandered back over to Mike and stretched out, lying side by side. They sat in comfortable silence, both staring up at the void, something they used to do as kids.

Will broke the silence.

“Sometimes I miss the stars.”

Mike hummed in agreement, sleep starting to grab ahold of him. “Boston barely has enough stars either. I kinda wish Willie had grown up seeing them like we did in Hawkins.”

Will’s soft chuckle filled the space. “Yeah, I remember whenever we had sleepovers in the summer and we would set up camp behind my house and you would describe the stars to me as I drew them.”

Mike remembered those nights too. When Will couldn’t sleep because of the memories that haunted him, the two friends would trudge outside and lay underneath the stars together. Sometimes, Mike felt like he needed those nights more than Will did.

He had memories he wanted to escape from too.

Mike yawned unexpectedly and Will looked at him startled, his face scrunching into an adorable teasing one.

“Maybe it’s time we also went to sleep. Want to set up your sleeping bag closer to the fire so you can stay warm? I can stay over here.”

As Will started to get up, panic settled in. Mike hastily sat up too, grabbing onto Will’s arm urgently. Will glanced down at Mike’s grip on his arm before shooting his gaze up to Mike in confusion.

Sitting there, rustling of the noises of nature around them while his hand desperately clutching onto Will’s arm, Mike had never felt so out of place.

He slowly let his hand fall to his side and coughed awkwardly. “Oh, um, if you want to we could both just sleep here together.”

Mike blushed furiously and avoided Will’s gaze.

God, he needed to stop acting like a lovestruck teenager around Will.

“I mean, sure. I’d like that,” Will said quietly, reaching behind him to unroll his sleeping bag, Mike mirroring him.

The two settled down, both bundled up in their sleeping bags, avoiding each other’s gazes as if it was the first date.

Mike fiddled with his thumbs nervously and biting his lip, he turned on his side to face Will. He was gazing up at the sky, his eyes scanning over the wide expanse above them.

Mike fell in love a little bit more.

“You know, there’s so many times I would look up at the sky from my apartment and hoped that even if I couldn’t see the stars, that wherever you were, you could see them for the both of us,” Will said shakily.

Mike stayed silent, his eyes searching over Will’s face. Finally, he sighed. “I wish we could have found each other again sooner. There were so many times I needed you.” Mike pictured all the past life events that he had been through, his marriage, Willie’s birth, his divorce, and thought about how Will hadn’t been there for any of them. “I know I wasn’t the only one who needed you either. You abandoned all your friends when you left, Will.”  
“I know. I was young and thought what I was doing was what I needed, but it never hit me until I left how selfish I was being.” Will fixed his gaze onto Mike, his eyes scanning his face the same way he had been scanning the sky. “I missed out on so much of all of your lives. You have no idea how much it haunts me every single day, especially after all of you had given up so much for me.”

Suddenly Mike felt Will’s cold clammy hand wrap around his. Will cleared his throat, choking up a little. “I’m really sorry, Mike. Really. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for so much of your life.”

Mike inhaled, taking it all in. He smiled sadly and shifted in his sleeping bag so that he was fully facing Will.

“I forgive you. I mean, I get why you did, I see why now. It doesn’t make it hurt any less, but...I understand.”

Will slightly nodded at him, the worry etched in his eyebrows slowly dissipating away.

He squeezed Mike’s hand.

“A-are all of them still mad at me? About...everything?”

“No, not anymore. I think as time went past we all dealt with it in our own way. I know they still all miss you a lot, though.”

Will moved his arm under his head and smiled at Mike, his eyes shining. “Tell me about them.”

Mike grinned and leaned in closer. “Well, what do you want to know?”

“Anything. Everything.”

“Max and Lucas got married a few years ago, eloped without telling anyone and we all found out when we went to their house warming party. Um, El got a job as a travel journalist. She goes all over the world and brings Willie with her sometimes, which I know he loves. Dustin moved out to Michigan after he went to college up there and last I heard, he was dating around.”

Will had furrowed his brows the more he talked. “I can’t believe I missed so much. Especially with Max and Lucas, I’m part of the reason they even got together in the first place.”

Mike snorted, startling himself out of his dozing off. “Well in that case, you were the cause of everyone’s futures, weren’t you?”

“Hey, those are your words not mine.”

Will giggled and Mike ducked his head, his curly hair falling into his eyes. Will abruptly stopped laughing and carefully lifted a piece of Mike’s hair out of his face, the tips of his fingers brushing against his forehead.

Mike didn’t dare breath, staring straight ahead at Will, too afraid to spook him and stop him from being so affectionate with him.

Will, finally satisfied with his handiwork, let his hand slip down Mike’s face, tracing along his jaw before it fell back on his sleeping bag.

Neither of them were smiling goofily anymore, too lost in each other’s gaze.

Mike felt a surge of adrenaline rush through his sleepy daze and suddenly he knew what he had to say.

“Will, I need to tell you something. I really-”

“Can it wait?”

Mike blinked, finally noticing Will’s drooping eyes and how slow his breaths had become as he drifted off to sleep.

It would just have to wait.

“Yeah, I’ll tell you tomorrow, Will.”

Will closed his eyes and smiled. “Paint a picture for me.”

It was like a repressed memory now, but as soon as the words left Will’s mouth, Mike remembered.

Whenever they had those sleepovers under the stars when they were kids, Will always said that and Mike would begin, describing each star he saw in earnest detail, watching in awe as Will painted to match his descriptions.

So, as Will slowly fell into a peaceful slumber Mike described the stars, the constellations, the galaxies stretching across the universe.

Never once did he look up at the night sky.

He didn’t have to.

All the stars and constellations he saw were right there, right in front of him.

In Will’s eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all this took so long to write and I tried to make it as angsty as possible. Enjoy :(

As soon as Mike stepped into the rec center and saw the glowing disco ball, he knew this was going to be something he would never forget.

It was the second to last day at Camp Cattaway and tonight was the final dance. The dance theme was Under the Sea and standing against the wall, Mike truly felt that it was a possibility.

The walls were covered from ceiling to floor with blue tarps, giving the appearance and rustle of waves and carefully painted on by the campers were different sea animals and plants, each as unique as the last. Getting to know all the kids over the past week, Mike felt pride surge through him, his hands tracing against a carefully drawn out starfish.

“Isn’t that amazing? Krista painted it.”

Mike turned at the sound of Will’s voice and almost did a double take.

As staff, they were all told to “dress for the occasion” and Mike had borrowed a button down shirt and some dress pants and had thrown the outfit together.

Will on the other hand…

“Wow, Will you look incredible.”

He was wearing a dark green dress shirt that brought out the color of his eyes, the shirt fit perfectly to show off his figure. Even his dark slacks fit him. Mike's heart thumped painfully in his chest.

“Thanks,” Will ducked his head bashfully and turned towards the dance floor, clearly trying to turn the attention off of him. “Willie looks like he's having a really good time.”

Mike tore his gaze from Will and turned towards his son too. Willie was in the middle of the dance floor, doing a goofy dance that all his other friends were also doing, his sweaty face beaming with happiness. His curly brown hair kept bouncing along with the song and Mike bit back his laugh.

“Still can’t dance though.”

“Reminds me of someone else.”

Both looked at each other and started to giggle. El was notorious for being the worst dancer in their group and clearly Willie had inherited that.

As soon as their laughter started to die down, the music changed to a slow song.

“Hey, isn’t this that song they always used to play at school dances?”

Mike strained his ears to hear the familiar beats of the song, his mind already transporting back to his childhood. “Yeah. ‘Take My Breath Away by Berlin’. I remember they played this at the dance back in high school.”

He remembered it perfectly. The crowded gymnasium with silver streamers tied around the walls, girls in puffy dresses, the 80s music blasting through the speakers. Mike specifically remembered this song because it had been one that El and him had danced too.

Mike glanced at Will out of the corner of his eye. He was staring off into the distance, his face pulled into an unreadable expression, but Mike could see the slight clench of his jaw.  
He cleared his throat. “Hey, uh, Will? Do you maybe want to dance with me?”

Will turned to gaze curiously at Mike, his eyebrows furrowed in disbelief. “What?”

Mike wiped his sweaty hands against his pants and held them out to Will, his nerves running haywire. “I mean, do you want to dance together?”

Will stared at Mike’s shaking hands that were held out between them and slowly the confused expression melted from his face. He nodded softly and gently grabbed one of Mike’s hands.

Mike let Will lead him to the dance floor, their hands clasped together tightly as their fingers interlocked.

They stood by the edge of the dancefloor so as not to bring even more attention to them, Will wrapping his arms around Mike’s shoulders and Mike placing his against Will’s waist.

Will’s face was bright red and his voice was going squeaky by the minute. “I-Is this what we’re supposed to do?”

Mike gripped onto Will’s soft shirt and grinned widely. “It really doesn’t matter. I just wanted to get you to dance with me.”

Even though both of them had grown, Will still had to tilt his head up a little to look into Mike’s eyes. As soon as they locked eyes, Mike’s whole world fell away until it was just Will and him, slowly swaying to the music. The whole building could have fallen apart in the moment and neither of them would have even noticed.

Will cleared his throat, his bright hazel eyes shining in the soft glow. “Mike, there’s so many times I wish I could go back in time.”

Will ducked his head, his nose brushing against Mike’s neck and sending chills down his spine.

“We can’t change the past, Will.” Mike gently nudged Will’s head until he looked back up. “At least we’re here now and we can...try again.”

Will’s expression was unreadable.

His grip on Mike’s waist slowly loosened.

The song had ended long back, but now standing there with Will pulling away, Mike finally heard the silence.

He took a deep breath.

"The other night, when we had taken the campers outside to sleep, I had to tell you something. It's just- I need to tell you the truth. I really like-”

“No. Stop.”

Will slowly started backing away, his heels turning as soon as he was by the tables. Just like that, he started briskly walking towards the door.

Mike tried to gather his thoughts as he chased after him, weaving through the dancing kids and counselors shooting him questioning looks.

He needed to see Will, fix it before the mistake was even made.

Shoving the door open with a loud bang, the music spilling into the empty night, Mike wandered down the path, his eyes searching for Will’s silhouette through the darkening sky as a storm began to brew.

Mike was so lost in his own mind that he didn’t even realize he had walked right over to Will in his daze.

Will stood facing the woods, his shoulders hunched over and as Mike drew closer, he noticed the way he shook.

Mike approached him as if approaching a scared animal, his arm outstretched in front of him, hoping to calm him down.

Just as his hand brushed against Will’s shoulders, he whipped around and the turmoil written all across his face made Mike take a step back.

He looked like he had as a kid, his normally bright hazel eyes stormy and shiny with tears. His lips quivered and his face was scrunched up, something it used to do just before he was about to cry.

Mike hesitantly leaned forward. “Will, I know this seems crazy, but after all these years, I do like you. More than a friend. I'm in lo-”

Will twitched and stepped forward too. “Don’t you dare finish that sentence.”

Mike glanced at Will in bewilderment, his eyes starting to tear up. “W-What do you mean? I’m trying to tell you I like yo-”

Will let out a frustrated grunt and lurched to the side, his hands fisting in his hair and shaking his head. He sounded so broken.

“Mike, not again. I can’t live through this again.” His tearfilled eyes met Mike’s. “Do you even remember what happened that night?”

“Of course I do. I can’t _escape_ it,” Mike said truthfully, the memories washing over him like the rain falling against his back.

Just standing there, the cloudy night sky above them as the thunder and lightning crackled on. Will, searching his face for a sign, anything to save them. Mike remembered it all.

The night Will left.

++++

_“I said I was sorry, Will. Wait up!”_

_Mike hurried out the back door of his house, trying to see through the pouring rain as he ran towards Will._

_He was headed for the woods, the quickest shortcut back to the Byers house, but Mike felt uneasiness creep through him as he watched Will disappear through the thicket._

_He picked up his pace._

_“Listen, I didn't know you wanted to hang out today, you should have told me.”_

_That got Will to stop in his tracks, Mike also coming to a halt a few feet behind him. With restrained anger, Will turned around._

_Mike's heart flickered with pain._

_Will looked so small in front of him, his rain-soaked clothes clinging to his tiny frame and his hair matted down to his face. The rain washed away his tears, but Mike already knew that his best friend was crying._

_Will barely spoke loud enough, but Mike heard him clearly. “We always play D &D on Friday, Mike. I thought you would have remembered that.” _

_Mike sighed, his arms out as if trying to comfort Will. “We used to. Now we hang out with El and Max, remember?”_

_Will turned slightly away from Mike, his hands clenched into fists as he stared at something through the darkness of the forest._

_“Why can't we just go back to the way things were?”_

_Mike hesitated, trying to figure out the best way to word it. “Well… why would you want to do that?”_

_Will looked at him in bewilderment, almost as if he was surprised Mike would even have to ask._

_“I barely see you guys anymore. Lucas is always with Max, Dustin goes to Steve, and you…. You're always with El.” He hung his head and held his arms protectively across his chest. “All of you abandoned me.”_

_“Oh come on, you don’t have to be that dramatic about it. We missed one hang out it’s not like it’s the end of the world.”_

_Will glared at Mike, clenching his jaw. “You missed one hang out this month. This month. Last month was four.”_

_Mike hesitated. Clearly Will was mad about something else, something much deeper, but he refused to bend._

_He furrowed his eyebrows in annoyance back at Will. “It’s not my fault I’ve been hanging out with El so much. She’s my girlfriend, Will. I’m not going to give up time with her.”_

_Will shook his head, his hands bunching into fists. “I’m not stupid, Mike. I just...Sometimes I feel like we’re growing apart, especially you and I.”_

_Mike stepped forward, his shoes sinking into the soggy dirt. “What is your problem? Why do you care so much about us? We’re not kids anymore. I mean what did you think, we’re just gonna sit in my basement all day and play games for the rest of our lives?”_

_Absolute hurt flashed across Will’s face. “N-no I just...I wanted to spend time with you guys, just act like a normal kid for onc-”_

_“God, grow up Will. Stop acting like a little kid. All of us moved on with our lives. It’s about time you do the same.”_

_Lightning struck above them as the two friends stood facing each other in shocked silence._

_“That’s cheap coming from you. You’re the one who told the party that we need to stick together.”_

_Mike rolled his eyes. “Well, that was when everything was going on in Hawkins and El was gone. We don’t even need to call ourselves ‘the party’ anymore.”_

_Will dropped his head and tried to push his wet hair off of his face. “Mike, why are you acting like this?”_

_“I’m the one acting normal, Will. You’re the one acting like you can’t function without me. It’s like you’re jealous that I have El now,” Mike scoffed, the anger fueling his every word._

_Suddenly Will surged forward._

_“Take it back.” He shoved Mike, causing him to stumble against a root jutting out._

_As if his body was controlled by someone else, Mike shoved back, hard._

_Will’s foot caught in a root and he fell backwards, his eyes wide in pain. His body was tensed up and the two stared at each other, waiting for the other to break._

_Will broke first. He sniffled and took a deep breath. His shaky voice filled Mike's head. "It's not you I'm jealous of, Mike."_

_Mike towered over him, yet made no move to help him up. For some reason, he just couldn't. Will just sat on the ground, in a consuming silence as realization slowly dawned on Mike._

_“Wait,” Mike stepped back. “Are you saying that you...you like me?”_

_Will stared up at Mike, his face twisted into such pain that warning signs went off in Mike’s head._

_“I didn’t want you to find out.” Will pulled his knees up to his chest and buried his face in them. His muffled voice could barely be heard over the storm. “I’m sorry, Mike. I-I’ve tried to fight it, but...I can’t.”_

_Mike didn’t respond. He remained still, not even moving to wipe the rain falling against his face. Everything started clicking in place, every moment he wondered, every look Will had given him, every time he refused to date someone._

_It all made sense._

_Mike didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t tell Will the truth, he just….couldn’t._

_Finally, Mike cleared his throat. "Maybe...Maybe you shouldn't hang out with us for a while. You know, just until...this all blows over. I don't know if I can be around you anymore."_

_Blood rushed into Mike's ears and he watched Will's face change from anger to absolute devastation._

_“Mike, what are you talking about? Why are you doing this to me?”_

_“I don’t know how I feel about it. I need some time.”_

_Will slowly got to his feet, pleading. “Please, I can pretend nothing happened. I just...You can’t keep me from my friends. I-I need you.”_

_There it was. Mike knew that Will rarely ever said anything about needing anyone, yet here they were. Will was so desperate he had finally said it._

_The words washed over Mike. Thinking over the past few days, he could see why Will felt abandoned. Every one of them had started dating, apart from Will, and that kept them busy most of the time. Even a small tiny part that was slowly dying off wished that things could go back to how they used to be, the four boys sitting in the basement alone._

_Mike wanted to tell all of this to Will, tell him he wasn’t alone, that he was going to try harder to put Will first, but…._

_In the midst of the thunderstorm in the woods, something snapped in Mike._

_Maybe it was because of earlier, having his mom threaten to leave his dad yet again, but never actually going through with it. Maybe it was from a few weeks ago when Nancy and him fought and she told him that El and him wouldn't last. Maybe it was the fact that he was scared to face the truth, that he was being a bad friend and he was treating Will like he had feared._

_Whatever it was, Mike had enough._

_“God, just shut up. You don’t need me, you just think you need me. Stop always making me help you. Ever since I've meet you it's always been about you needing me. You needed help from the bullies, the upside down, and…” He paused. He knew what he was about to say was irreversible, something that could never be taken back._

_Mike couldn’t stop the words though. They flew out of his mouth in pure anger, anger at everything bad in his life, everything he had messed up._

_All aimed unfairly at Will._

_“And I love El. No matter what you may think, I’m never going to choose you over her.”_

_Will let out a choked sob and finally looked at Mike with a look so new and foreign that it gave Mike pause. His normal hazel eyes were strewn with such darkness, such pure hatred that Mike almost forgot what Will’s eyes used to look like._

_Will clenched his jaw, his stance ready for fight or flight and slowly started backing away. "You know what, Mike? Fuck you. You act like you're tough and that you're a leader, but you're not. You're a fake and you're a coward. I hate you."_

_Will’s breath was labored. He was on the midst of a panic attack, yet Mike still made no move to help him. He didn’t know why, but he just...couldn’t._

_Mike watched on as the panic in Will’s breathing grew louder and louder. He couldn’t even think straight, couldn’t even see how cruel he was being._

_Finally, Mike heard Will’s tired broken voice break through the heavy rain._

_"I just hoped we could go back to the way things were before I leave.”_

_Mike paused, his body slowly caving in as the anger and hurt slowly dissipated from him. He was tired, feeling out of control._

_He never used to feel out of control around Will._

_Mike wondered when that had changed._

_“Leave?”_

_Will shakily got to his feet, looking up at the dark sky as the rain continued to pour on them. He stood hunched over, all the life drained out of his small body as his wet clothes clung to him._

_“I can’t do this anymore, none of it. There’s so many days where I wake up and wish I hadn't. I need to get out of here, somewhere I'm not constantly reminded that I'm never going to be good enough. Right, Mike?"_

_Suddenly, everything came crashing down. All the words he had just said replayed in his head and Mike fell to his knees, overcome with the pain and hurt he knew he had just made Will feel._

_Before he could say anything, WIll turned to him, looking like a stranger in the body of his best friend._

_“You told me we would always be friends, Mike. Crazy together, remember?”_

_“I thought I would always have you.”_

++++

"And then I never saw you again."

Mike spoke softly, the rest of his tears washing away with the rain that was starting to slowly fall.

Will stood tense in front of Mike still, stuck in his own memories of that night, the regret and anger painted clear as day on his face.

With all the adrenaline surging through him, though, Mike knew this was his only chance. Tomorrow, everyone at the camp would be gone and he might never get to tell Will that he loved him.

He couldn't risk it.

Not again.

He nervously smiled and tried to keep his voice soft and pleasant even though he was beginning to freak out too.

“Hey, well, maybe now we can try? I mean we wasted so much of our lives apart from each other. The least we can do is try, right?”

Thunder rumbled ominously in the air around them, the beginnings of the thunderstorm taking place.

Will clenched his jaw and shook his head, his eyes looking directly at Mike with nothing left in him.

“No. No, Mike I can’t. Do you know how much I had to go through to get over you?”

Mike gently shook his head, sniffling quietly. “I-It’s all in the past now, Will. I’m sorry about what happened, really, but now I feel like we can move past it.”

He reached the arm that was still outstretched and laid it on Will’s shoulder who was shaking so furiously it looked like he was convulsing.

Will stopped moving as soon as they came into contact and he froze. “Mike,” his voice was weary and just by his posture, Mike knew the fight was slowing leaving him. “I know it’s in the past, but I….I can’t do this.”

Mike stepped forward. “Will-”

“I thought I could handle seeing you again, but… I can’t. I haven’t gotten over you yet. You broke my heart, Mike. After that night, I had just given up on life, given up on ever being happy again. I wasted so much of my life on you, worrying about you, trying to make you happy, and all I got in return was nothing. I can’t go back down that road, Mike, I just can’t.” Will wiped his tears angrily on his sleeve and glanced up at Mike, the familiarity and happiness leaking out of him with every breath.

Mike was feeling his own breath wavering in and out. He was grasping at straws. “Listen, I’m trying to make it right, Will. I was so angry at everything when it happened, right after you had been possessed and El was stuck as a fugitive and just...everything else going on. I should never have taken it out on you though. I was scared because, well, it was the first time I had both you and El around. I couldn’t decide between you too and it was ruining me. I’m so sorry, Will. Every day I think about how much I hurt you and I hate myself. I hate that I never gave you a chance. I hate that I become such a monster that you had to leave town just to escape from me.” Mike sucked in a breath and scrubbed the tears off his face. “I want to make it better though. I found you now, and I’m not going to lose you again. I’m in love with you, Will.”

He finally looked up, looked into Will’s dead eyes.

Mike stared at him hopefully, even though the thunderstorm continued on above them. If they could get through what had happened in the past, surely they could get through this and end up on the other side, happy and finally with each other. That's what Mike believed until Will slowly dropped his head.

"Mike, I...", as if his arms were made of lead, Will lifted a string tied around his neck, tucked carefully under his dress shirt and even with the darkening sky, Mike saw the glimmer of a simple gold band, almost the same band as his old wedding ring.

“I’m engaged.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I used that quote from the trailer because it SHOOK me to my core lmao


	8. Chapter 8

Mike had lost all sense of direction.

He had told Willie that he would meet him back at the car when he finished packing, needing to take a quick walk through the forest one last time.

It had been an hour and Mike still hadn't figured out why he couldn't make himself go back.

Maybe it was because Willie was crying from saying goodbye to all his friends. Maybe it was because Will was back there, waiting for him and Mike didn't want to be any part of that.

It was definitely the latter.

He sighed, heading down to the edge of the lake and crouched down. He couldn't stop replaying what had happened last night.

After Will had told him about the engagement it was like Mike had shut down. He couldn't even stand and even though Will tried to talk to him, it was like he had just fallen apart.

It was the first time Mike had really felt so hopeless. He hadn't even considered the possibility that Will would have met someone else. Mike hadn't known what to say and, from the look of pure defeat in his eyes, neither had Will. Thankfully the campers had spilled out into the night, their laughter and excitement filling the air around them, and the two had composed themselves and separated.

They hadn't talked since last night and it was this morning that Willie had told him that he would get to meet "the fiance".

Mike had tried to fake his excitement for his son but it was definitely hard. He knew this is what he wanted, to see Will happy and moving on, but now that he was actually about to see it ….

He didn't know if he could handle it. 

Picking up a twig laying next to him, Mike flung it across the lake watching it hit the water with a splat before submerging underneath. He didn’t notice he was crying until the tears hit his arm. Sniffling he got to his feet and wandered back the way he came, trying to clear his head before he got to the camp.

He had to be brave for Willie, if anything. Ever since this morning, his son had been pestering about what had happened the night before, even going as far as to ask Will. Apparently Will hadn’t said a word, so neither had Mike.

They had a lot of talking to do with so little time left between them.

Suddenly the yells and laughter grew louder as Mike rounded the corner and the woods opened up into the clearing. He hurriedly rid his face of evidence of his pain and put on a smile as he saw a group of campers hugging each other.

Today was it, the last day of camp, the last day of freedom from school, the last day of freedom from the truth. It had been a heartfelt morning filled with all kinds of goodbyes, even a few campers coming up to Mike and thanking him for being such a cool parent. As he wished them luck for the rest of their year, he finally understood why Will did this every single year.

“Hey dad, can I put these in the car? They’re getting kind of heavy.”

Mike turned at the sound of Willie’s voice and his heart melted. His son was standing around a pile of bags, his baseball cap pulled low over his eyes as he squinted up at him. Deep down, Mike knew this was the last summer Willie would ever be a kid, he was growing up way too fast for his liking.

With a chuckle, Mike grabbed the bags in both hands. “It’s okay, buddy. You go say bye to your friends and I’ll take these to the car.” Willie readily handed the bags over and was gone in a flash, immediately finding some friend to talk to.

“Hey, um, need any help?”

Mike gripped the bags tighter, his heart aching before he even turned. Will was gazing at Mike shyly, biting his lip nervously. Mike really wanted to refuse his offer, but as the last few kids waited around for their parents to come pick them up, he knew this would be the last time he would get to really talk to Will.

He handed over a few of the bags and together, they traipsed over to the row of cars in silence. Mike carefully packed them all away in the trunk and shut it was a soft thud before finally facing Will.  
Will cleared his throat. “Listen, Mike...I just want to tell you that I’m sorry. For all of it. I-I shouldn’t have acted like that last night, I was just so stressed out and overwhelmed and I didn’t mean to rai-”

“It’s okay, Will. You don’t need to apologize. For...any of it.” He glanced pointedly at the same string that held the ring tied around Will’s neck. Will gently laid his hand over it as if to block it from both their memories, but he nodded in response. Will turned his attention to the campers huddled around the Camp Cattaway sign and a soft smile graced his features. Mike’s heart pounded.

“You know, for what it’s worth...I had a lot of fun with you this summer Mike. It made me realize that no matter what, we’re always meant to be in each other’s lives.”

Mike nodded and felt tears spring to his eyes. “You’re still my number one best friend you know.”

“And you’re still mine.”

Their tearfilled eyes met and as if pulled together by a magnet, the two fell into each other’s arms. Mike melted into their embrace, breathing in the familiar scent of home that he knew he would never find anywhere else. Will buried his face into Mike’s shoulder and held him tighter. Neither of them moved for a what felt like years, both savoring what they knew would never happen again.

Finally, Mike started to pull away, clapping Will on the back gently. Both of them were a mess, sniffling and sloppily wiping the tears from their eyes. Will leaned into his touch, both of their words dying from their throats.

The sound of a car door slamming seemed to bring the two back to reality and Will carefully wiped the rest of the tears. Mike refused to look away from Will, scared that once he did, Will would never come back.

“W-We should go check on the campers. I think there’s only a few kids left to be picked up.” Will turned slowly and waited for Mike to fall into a steady pace next to him, both shoving their hands in their pockets to keep from reaching for the other.

Willie was watching them curiously as they approached, his eyes flitting between the two as if trying to solve a puzzle. Finally, he must have figured it out because he ducked his head and grumpily crossed his arms. Mike wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “Ready to go home, Willie?”

Willie just glanced up at the two adults and pointed behind him, both men looking in confusion at a tall man talking to a group of counselors. As soon as Mike heard a sharp gasp leave Will’s mouth, he knew this was him, this was Will’s fiance.

Mike followed Will over to him.

“Matt, hey, I thought I was going to meet you at home.”  
_Home_. Mike flinched and stuttered to a stop when Matt turned around.

He was the same height as Mike, with thick dark brown hair and caramel brown skin. His smile was bright as his green eyes made contact with Will. The man pulled Will into a hug and Mike looked away, not before noticing the same gold ring on his finger that was around Will’s neck.

His heart shattered right then and there.

Mike was so lost in his heartbreak he hadn’t even noticed Will was introducing him to his fiance.

“Hey, it’s really nice to meet you, man. Will told me so much about you. I’m Matt.”

Matt shook Mike’s hand and Mike tried to hide the fact that he wanted to curl into a ball and cry deep inside. “Nice t-to meet you too.”

Matt nudged Will in the side, who looked like he was currently trying to disappear through another dimension. “Will told me you guys were close when you were kids. You’ve gotta tell me how he acted when he was younger. Was he as quiet as he is now?”

Mike raised his eyebrows in surprise and tried to steady his voice. “No, actually, it was quite the opposite.”

Will finally looked at Mike and the two shared a mutual understanding. Will was a quiet person. Unless he was around people he loved.

Unless he was around Mike.

Matt cleared his throat. “So, honey, should we be heading out?”

Will finally broke eye contact with Mike and plastered a smile on his face at Matt, one that Mike knew was fake right away. “Uh, yeah. Let me just...say goodbye, okay?”

Matt nodded cheerfully, unaware of how tense the situation really was and turned back around to talk to his group again.

Will took a large inhale and faced Mike, but before he could say anything, a quiet voice broke through.

“Am I ever going to see you again?”

Willie was standing next to them, his hands crossed protectively over his chest, something that Mike did whenever he was scared. Will glanced at Mike before leaning down to wrap Willie in a hug.

“Of course you are. I’ll come visit you, I promise.”

Willie hugged Will back, his head resting on his shoulder. “Friends don’t lie, remember? Don’t break the promise, Will.”

Both Mike and Will looked at Willie in shock. He had sounded so much like El it was as if she was standing there.

Finally Will nodded and a high wattage smile took over his face. “You know Willie, I’m glad I got to meet you. You’re a pretty cool kid.”

Willie grinned. “And you’re even better than I thought you would be.” Slowly, he pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and slipped it into the palm of Will’s hand. Before Will could open it, he stopped him. “Don’t read the letter just yet. It’s...for later.”

Will nodded and slipped it into his own pocket before standing back up and, with a glint in his eye, ruffling Willie’s hair. The pair laughed and playfully poked each other as Mike looked on.

He was going to miss this.

Finally Will gently shooed Willie away and stepped closer over to Mike, his hands buried in his pockets as he kicked the dirt. Mike tried to act as nonchalant, but his heart was beating too fast.

“I gotta get going. Don’t want to make it back too late, you know?”

Mike nodded and glanced towards Willie, who was watching the two. “Yeah, Willie’s probably exhausted. We’ll probably hit the road soon too.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

The two locked eyes and it was like a million years shed from them until it was just Mike and Will, the two best friends, the two anchors, the two survivors, the two almost lovers, the two missed opportunities.

Mike reached out and grabbed Will’s clammy hand, the familiarity filling his very bones. “Will, I.... I want you to know, I’m happy you’re happy. Seriously. That’s all I ever want for you, for you to be as happy as you make me.”

Will tightened his grip on his hand, demanding Mike to look at him. “Mike...no matter what, I want you to know. My feelings...my feelings never changed. They probably never will, but it’s been too many near misses, you know?”

Mike did know. He knew how it felt for Will now, seeing him in love with someone else.

And it hurt. A lot.

But...he knew what Will was getting at. They had missed their intertwined story too many times for it to ever actually work out. He took a deep breath and hoped Will would understand.  
“You should get going,” Mike said when he really meant _I love you_.

Will gave a watery smile and his eyes were trying to burn holes into Mike’s. “Yeah, probably,” he whispered when he really meant _so much._

They used to talk like this all the time as kids, just another reminder of what could have been.

Carefully, Will disentangled their hands and pressed his fingers into Mike’s arm, leaving a lasting touch before he gave a small wave to Willie and started heading over to meet his fiance.

Mike couldn’t watch, he turned around and tried to control his breathing.

Willie came up next to him and wrapped his arms around his waist. “Dad, don’t cry it’s okay. It’s not over with Will just yet.”

“Willie, how do you know?”

Willie patted his empty pocket and looked towards where Will was. “I just know.”

It felt like hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter!!!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This literally took like two whole weeks to write because I kept changing it. ANYWAyS, hope you guys enjoy!!

Two months.

That’s how long it took for Willie to finally crack.

It was the fourth of July weekend and just like every other year, Mike, El and Willie took the long trek back to Hawkins to spend the weekend with the grandparents, along with meeting up with the former party members. They had just finished up at El’s childhood home with Hopper and Mike and Willie were sitting together at Lucas’s old house, both eating from the same piece of cake when he asked.

“Dad, when is Will going to come visit?”

Mike stopped mid chew and carefully put the plate on the table before turning to face his son.

“I don’t think we’re going to see him for a long time, honey.”

That was always the response. Willie had been asking since he had stepped back into the house, since he had said goodbye to Will at camp, and since Mike had lost his eternal love. He didn’t know how to tell Willie the truth, they would never get to see him again, and he didn’t know if he could even handle saying it out loud.

Before Willie could pester him further, the pop of a champagne bottle interrupted them.

Mike was really glad they all stuck to their promise to spend the Fourth in Hawkins as he watched Lucas pour more champagne into Dustin’s glass while El danced around the living room with a blushing Max. Without this welcome distraction, Mike didn’t know if he would have been able to focus on anything else besides Will.

He had kept replaying every moment, every new memory they had made together those last few weeks and every time he thought about it, his heart ached.

He couldn’t let himself disappear down that road, though. He had a son to think about.

A son who, very frustratingly, couldn’t seem to let the subject go.

“Maybe we can go visit him? You guys exchanged addresses for letters and everything, we might as well put it to good use.”

Mike tried to hide his laughter in a cough. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. What if he had shown up here randomly, like you want to do to him? Wouldn’t you be mad?”

Willie blinked up at him owlishly. “I wouldn’t be mad.”

Mike sighed. Neither would he, but he couldn’t tell Willie that.

“Listen, buddy, I know you want to see Will and so do I, but if he wanted to visit us he would have done so already.”

Willie crossed his arms angrily over his chest and pouted. “He promised me. He promised he would come visit.”

Mike pulled Willie closer and wrapped an arm around him. “I know, but sometimes in life, you need to do what’s best for you.”

“I don’t want him to forget about us, though,” Willie whispered. “I even gave him that letter you wrote him so he can’t forget.”

Mike’s mind started whirring with possibilities. “What letter?”

Suddenly, Willie froze up next to him and slowly sidled out from under Mike’s arm. Before he could get off the couch, Mike pulled him back down and made him look at him.

“William Jeremy Hopper Wheeler,” Mike tried to keep calm, bt the dread was building in his stomach. “What letter are you talking about?”

Willie shrugged sheepishly. “I think you might know.”

Mike did know. He had written that letter two days after the fight, when he had gone to Will’s house to apologize and he had already left for New York. He remembered pouring his heart and soul into that letter, writing down the feelings he didn’t even know he had. Mike had signed it, sealed it, and kept in a box in his closet, knowing he never wanted it to reach Will’s hands.

Turns out, that’s where it may be right now.

“Oh god, is that you went to that camp in the first place? You wanted to give that letter to Will? How did you even find it?”

Mike hadn’t even noticed the room had fallen silent until Willie had turned to eye El in panic. As soon as his friends started to avoid his gaze, everything clicked.

He pointed accusingly at El, his hand shaking with shock. “It was in that box you gave him for his birthday, wasn’t it? You’ve had that letter this whole time?”

El innocently smiled and tried to casually cross her arms. “Listen I just gave him the letter. I didn’t even tell him who Will was.”

All eyes turned to Max and Lucas who had been sneaking out of the room, both looking like a deer caught in the headlights. Lucas grabbed onto Max’s arm in fear once Mike got up and started for them, his eyes fuming.

Max was the one to come to their defense. “I know what we did was pretty bad, but if we hadn’t done it, you wouldn’t have reunited with Will. So, really, you should be thanking us.”

Mike looked absolutely livid. “ _Thanking_ you? Is that what you want to call it? Are you seriously saying that right now?”

Everyone started arguing all at once, including Willie who just wanted to be involved. A loud whistle caused their fighting to come to an abrupt halt. All of them turned to glare at Dustin, who raised his arms in surrender. "Listen you're all being dumb. Max, El and Lucas, you guys shouldn't have given all that stuff to Willie. Willie, you should have asked your dad about the whole thing and Mike, you got to meet Will. Everything worked out."

"That's not the problem here," Mike flopped on the couch, running his hands clumsily through his curly hair. "I told Will right before we left camp that I want him to be happy and move on. When he reads the letter he's going to think I lied and that I'm actually still in love with him."

El glanced at him, her head tilted in confusion. "Well, are you?"

"Yeah. Yeah I am."

Everyone took a collective breath.

"So what now?", Willie asked, turning to face his dad.

No one said anything, but all seemed to be thinking the same thing.

Mike stood up and clenched his fists in determination. He didn’t know if Will ever came back to Hawkins, but….

Maybe Joyce could help him out.

"I need to go to his old house."

El gave a quick hug before he ran for the door, pulling him in close for a second. "Good luck."

Mike didn't have time for luck. He rushed around, grabbing keys and his coat, while the others watched him in a shocked silence. He finally paused and glanced back at his family, each of them showing support. Willie smiled the brightest.

Mike rushed through the hallway and pulled open the front door, his mind already forming a plan. Sprinting across the lawn, he headed for the dark void that made up the woods and plunged through, his fears kept at bay with the adrenaline rushing through his body.

The sounds of nightlife and the twigs snapping kept Mike grounded and he barreled through the woods, his feet carrying him down the familiar path to the Byers’ residence.

As he started to head left, the sights and sounds overtook his senses and memories flushed through him.

The evergreen tree where Max had climbed up as far as she could and tied a scarf near the top. A stream of water heading back towards town where Dustin and El had a paper boat race. Even the broken nest of twigs shoved together that used to be where Mike and Will used to-

Wait.

He came to an abrupt halt and wandered closer to the broken structure. It was crushed down by various plant life, the familiar blue tarp shredded to bits, probably by animals.   
It was Castle Byers.

Carefully, Mike sifted through the twigs and broken nails that littered the area until his hands brushed against the worn out mattress that used to be Will’s refugee whenever he was scared. Mike hadn’t even realized he had been crying until a solid tear slid down his cheek and onto his hand.

This place had been such a big part of his life. He had spent so many rainy nights huddled under the tarp with Will, watching as he sketched the world to life. After Will had moved away, no one had been there to take care of the place.

Mike wanted to crawl underneath the tarp and just cry, letting all his emotions out that he had been holding in for Willie’s sake, but he knew he couldn’t.

The only way to make his heartbreak go away was to actually _try_ to heal it.

He stood up, brushing the dirt off of his dark jeans and followed the worn out path until he reached the clearing.

Mike almost passed out as soon as he looked at the house.

It was still the same worn out white color, the awning providing the porch with coverage from the weather and the monsters that always seemed to lurk nearby. The familiar station wagon peeked out from the backyard and if Mike squinted, he could still see the scratch that Max had made when she first became their party’s zoomer.

The front steps creaked when Mike moved to the front door. A small cracked welcome sign was swinging back and forth as he knocked.

He knocked again.

Nothing, no light turned on in the darkened house, no barking from a pet, no smile from Mrs. Byers as she greeted him with love.

Turning on his heel, Mike stumbled down the stairs, his mind blank. His plan had failed, there was no way he was ever going to get to see Will again to tell him the truth.

That he loved him.

Mike mindlessly shuffled back the way he came, the dark and looming forest waiting to swallow him whole. His mind was racing through all his regrets, fighting with Will, saying such hurtful things, reuniting with him and throwing it-

"Shit," he muttered under his breath, rubbing his cheek in pain.

Mike was in such a hurry that he collided with something, no someone, standing right in the darkness of the woods. He was on the ground within minutes, his mind pausing as he tried to gather his bearings.

"Ow, what the hell?"

Mike felt chills run down his spine and he scrambled to his feet, his heart working overtime as he helped the man up.

"What are you _doing_ here, Will?"

Will rubbed his forehead where he had ran into Mike and grimaced. "I was trying to make a romantic gesture, that's what."

Mike looked him up and down, studying him as if he wasn't real. Will looked like he had been traveling for a while, a black book bag slung over one shoulder and his messy brown hair blowing against the wind. The bags under his eyes made him look troubled but when Mike looked into his eyes, they were clear as day.

And staring right at Mike.

"I just went to your parents’ house, but they said you had just left."

Mike was still trying to wrap his head around everything. "You're actually here right now? In Hawkins? I’ve been coming here every year and I never see you."

Will smiled shyly and ducked his head. "Yeah. My mom likes to spend holidays with Jonathan and I in New York. This year, though...This year I had something important to do so I let my mom use my car for her trip up to New York and I stayed because...” Will’s face turned serious and his gaze was intense. “I...I finally read the letter."

Now it was Mike's turn to duck his head in embarrassment. "Listen, Will, I'm really sorry about it that I didn't know that's what Willie had given you in fact I didn't know everyone had planned this whole-"

"Mike, I'm glad you wrote it."

Mike clammed up and just stared at Will in confusion.

Will took a deep breath and started pulling out something from his bag. "You remember how every time something was stuck in my head, I had to put it down on paper, draw it out so that I could actually let it go?"

He held out a pile of papers to Mike, who carefully held them in his arms, his mind going blank as he flipped through them.

"Will, these are…," Mike's sentence died in his throat. Each drawing was done in a rush, but it was clearly an artist's sketch. And they were all of Mike. He examined the pictures closer, until they all just became a blur in his head of freckles, warm smiles, and dark hair.

“I tried so many times to just forget about you, but obviously it didn’t work”, Will chuckled and fiddled with his hands nervously. “It got so bad that I accidentally started drawing you when I was showing one of my summer school students how to draw a person.”

Mike was at a loss for words. He just gawked at Will in response, who took it as reason enough to continue on. Slowly, he lifted the same string from around his neck that he had the night of their second fight and Mike flinched inwardly, preparing himself for the flash of the gold ring that was still implemented in his memory.

Except there was nothing. Just the simple red string remained.

“Matt and I had a long talk and decided that it was just never going to work out. We’ve always had our problems and we just never seemed to be able to feel like ourselves around each other. I realize now it’s because of you.”

Will stared directly at him, his hazel eyes almost burning holes into Mike’s. He approached him slowly until he stood directly in front of Mike, his eyes scanning his face before briefly falling on his lips.

"You know, when we were younger I was always scared I was going to tell you the truth, that I had feelings for you and I promised myself I would never be the first to say that I love you because of it." His eyes lit up like a kaleidoscope. “So when I say I love you, it’s because I stopped listening to the voice in my head that is constantly trying to bring me down. I want to be happy and I want to be with you because...I love you and I won’t ever stop.”

Mike's heart burst at the seams. He leaned agonizingly closer until their noses brushed together and he studied the stars revolving around in Will’s eyes.

How many times had he looked into those eyes and felt the world falling apart? How many times had he felt like he was grounded to earth and safe for the first time? He reached for Will, dragging him closer until they were chest to chest. "I’ve spent so much time regretting our story. All the mistakes I’ve made, all the lost time, and I just don’t want to regret any more missed chances with you.”

Mike took a deep breath and took his last chance.

He surged forward and when their lips connected, Mike could swear he felt the earth shift. It felt like a renewal, a second chance from the universe to actually get it right.

Mike pulled away and cradled Will’s face in his hand. “I love you, Will. So much. You're it for me."

Will grinned, his smile radiating all the love in the world, letting the drawings of Mike flutter to the ground as he wrapped an arm around Mike’s neck, pulling him close.

In the midst of kissing, suddenly Will giggled and Mike watched the way his face lit up even more. “You know, if it wasn’t for Willie we wouldn’t even be standing here together right now.”

Mike chuckled and buried his face into Will’s hair. “God, how did I not realize how much I needed you? I literally named my _child_ after you.”

Will nudged him until Mike looked into his teasing eyes. “Well, if it makes you feel better I adopted a cat when I first left and named it after you. Guess we both were too dumb to realize.”

The pair burst out laughing and fell to the ground, not even caring about the twigs and dirt brushing against their backs. Together, they looked up at the night sky, the clear shining stars, and Will pointed as a bright shooting star flew across. “Quick, make a wish.”

Mike grabbed Will’s hand and turned to face him.   
“I got my wish right here.”

* * *

Willie stared at the blank paper before him, his pencil poised to write, but nothing happened. He sighed and tossed the pencil to the floor, twisting around in his seat to look out the window.

It was July 4th and instead of being outside with his family, Willie was sitting in his dad’s old childhood bedroom, wishing he was brave enough.

He heard a whoop of laughter from his grandparent’s backyard and shifted in his seat to watch Dustin accidentally flip a hamburger onto the grass. All of his parents’ childhood friends had congregated at the Wheeler’s house to celebrate the holiday.

Well, all except Will.

His dad had come home late last night, after Willie had gone to sleep, and left before he even woke up. Willie even asked his mom if that meant he had found Will, but she had given him a quick hug and told him that they couldn’t get their hopes up.

Willie really wanted to, though.   
He remembered how happy his dad had been at Camp Cattaway and how much Will had made him feel like he belonged.   
Willie really hoped they would work it out soon.

Willie begrudgingly got up, taking his time down the stairs to admire the pictures of his dad’s family scattered over the walls. There were a few of just his dad as a baby, dressed to the nines as he sat on his mom’s lap, crying his eyes out. Even pictures of his Aunt Nancy and Aunt Holly were there, looking regal and like they were trying hard not to roll their eyes at the camera.

Willie bounded down the rest of the stairs and burst through the back door, the laughter and noises that he had heard from upstairs louder and filling him with excitement. Lucas and Max were trying to figure out the fireworks to be used later that night while Dustin waved at him with his grilling spatula. Finally, he spotted his mom over by the swing set that had been put up for Willie when he was younger, studying her camera.

“Hey, sweetie, did you finally finish?”, El asked as he approached her and grinned cheerily at him. Willie mounted the swing next to her and gently pushed himself before shaking his head no. El rubbed his back comfortingly. “It’s okay, Willie. Whatever happens, your dad and I still love you very much.”

Willie leaned into her side, always a mama’s boy, and gestured at the camera. “Did you get any good photos?”

Showing him the camera, El started flipping through the photos of her friends. “Some of them turned out really good, like th-”

Suddenly, Max yelled out and both mother and son hurried off the play set, running towards the rest of the group until Willie stopped in a dead halt.

Standing in front of the gathered group was his dad, who looked sheepishly around, and…

“Will? Is that really you?”

Lucas was the first to step forward, his mouth agape as he studied the man standing nervously next to Mike.

After glancing cautiously at Mike, Will approached Lucas too.

“Listen, I just want to apologize to you, all of you. I know I left abruptly and you guys have no idea how sorry I-”

He was tackled in a hug before he could even finish. Lucas finally pulled away, his grin seeming to eat up the rest of his face. “Will, I don’t care about any of that. I’m just so glad you’re back now.”

Will looked like he was about to cry. He tugged Lucas into a hug again and everyone started laughing, all of them wiping tears from their eyes.

Dustin went for a hug next and ruffled his hair as if they were little kids.

Even his Aunt Max, who Willie knew hated hugs, tackled Will into a tight grasp before punching him in the arm playfully. “Don’t ever leave again, you hear me?”

Will’s smile was the biggest out of all of theirs. “I won’t. I promise”

“You know, friends don’t lie. You actually got to keep your promise this time.”

El finally stepped forward, her face morphed into one of no emotions. Will and El studied each other, and Willie really thought this was going to be it, this was how Will was going to die, when suddenly the two burst out laughing. Will pulled her into a long hug and El held him close, as if afraid he would disappear if she let go.

“I missed you, Will.” El pulled away and even from Willie was standing, he could see the tears lining her face. “We always promised each other we would never be apart.”

Will ducked his head in shame. “I know, El. I let you down. It’s one of the biggest regrets of my life. Can you ever forgive me?”

El held his face in her hands, studying him, before pressing a light kiss against his cheek. “Will, I forgave you the day you left.”

Will wiped his tears on his sleeve and finally turned to face Willie. “And I made a promise to you, too. I’m really sorry I didn’t come sooner, Willie.”

Willie didn’t even bother waiting, he ran towards Will and fell into his open arms. “Just promise not to do it again, okay?”

Willie ruffled his hair and grinned. “I absolutely promise. Besides,” He glanced behind him at Mike, who was trying to discreetly wipe the tears from his eyes. “You’re going to be seeing a lot more of me.”

It took a minute for everyone to finally get it and once they did, chaos ensued. Everyone was laughing and jumping around, happiness for Will and Mike filling the space around them.

Mike leaned down among the commotion and pulled Willie in for a hug. “Without you, none of this would have happened, Willie. Thank you.”

Willie preened. “So letters really do work, huh, Dad?”

Mike grinned. “You bet they do.”

That was all the answer Willie needed.

He slipped past Will and his dad, past Dustin and Max, and tiptoed through the house until he landed back in his room, staring at the paper he had carefully laid out on the desk.

Grabbing the pencil off the floor, he paused, thinking of the best way to start.

No. If there was one thing he learned recently, he needed to stop thinking and take a chance.

Carefully making sure each word was legible, Willie started writing the letter to the kid he had met at Camp Cattaway.

His own love letter.

   
_Dear Charlie,_

_I never believed in the power of taking chances._

_That is, until I reunited my dad with his first love._

_It all started with a letter..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU FOR READING THIS!!!! I never thought I was going to finish this, but seeing all your extremely thoughtful comments really helped. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.  
> Until next time :)


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